46 STURNIDJJ. 



that were too inquisitive as to the progress the nest was 

 making. The female, in her arduous task, made on an 

 average, by my watch, three trips per minute, with small 

 twigs and bits of dry grass, which she picked up near 

 the tree. Sometimes she took three or four small ones at 

 one time ; so that at this rate, supposing her to work for 

 only six hours, she would have brought together upwards 

 of a thousand sticks, &c., which would be more than suffi- 

 cient to form her nest." 



The Starling builds in church steeples, under eaves, and 

 in holes of houses, towers, or ruins ; sometimes in hollow 

 trees, and often in cliffs, or high rocks overhanging the sea ; 

 occasionally in pigeon-houses. The nest is made of slender 

 twigs, straw, roots, and dry grass ; the eggs are four or 

 five in number, of a uniform delicate pale blue, one inch 

 two lines in length, by ten lines in breadth; these are 

 hatched in about sixteen days, and the old birds are ob- 

 served to be most assiduous in their attentions to their 

 nestlings. Soon after the young birds leave the nest, both 

 parents and offspring unite with other families of the same 

 species, forming large flocks, which again associate, and 

 may be seen feeding on commons and grass grounds, in 

 company with Rooks, and occasionally with other birds. 

 Their food consists of worms, insects in their various stages, 

 and snails ; in default of these they will eat berries and 

 grain. They are frequently seen in meadows, searching for 

 food among sheep and cattle. In the southern countries of 

 Europe they devour ripe grapes and figs. In confinement 

 they appear to prefer raw meat. 



When the young are too much grown to continue to 

 occupy the nest in which they were reared, the nights of 

 summer and autumn being warm, these birds roost by 

 thousands among reeds in the fenny parts of Essex, Cam- 

 bridge, Huntingdon, Lincoln, and other counties; where 



